Chicago Firm Says Co-Counsel Cut It Out Of Case, $7.6M Deal

By Celeste Bott

Chicago-based personal injury firm Disparti Law Group PA is suing another law firm and one of its attorneys in Illinois state court, saying they secretly continued litigating a wrongful death case they'd agreed to work on jointly after telling Disparti they planned to dismiss it, then cut the firm out of its share in more than $2.5 million in attorney fees when the case settled.

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States, Amici Ask Justices To Keep Mail Ballot Rules On Ice

By Katie Buehler

Nearly half of the states and the District of Columbia urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to leave in place a federal judge's order blocking the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing new mail-in ballot regulations in this year's midterms, arguing the changes are a major political decision USPS had no authority to make. 

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Calif. Judge Seeks Clearer Limits On ICE Use Of Medicaid Data

By Tom Lotshaw

A California federal judge ordered 22 states and the Trump administration to reach an agreement on the proper scope of his injunction limiting Medicaid data use for immigration enforcement, saying he's unsure how it should apply to people with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status.

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States Say DOT's Driver Data Demand Is Immigration Pretext

By Jared Foretek

The Democratic-led states asking a Virginia federal judge to stop the Trump administration from accessing the Social Security numbers of commercial drivers nationwide for immigration enforcement backed up their request for an injunction Wednesday, saying the federal government is using post hoc rationalizations to defend its data demands.

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21 States Want Changes To Endangered Species Act Blocked

By Hailey Konnath

California, Massachusetts, Washington and 18 other states on Wednesday filed a pair of suits challenging the Trump administration's recent changes to how the Endangered Species Act is implemented, claiming that the rules drastically weaken safeguards for the most vulnerable species and were rolled out unlawfully.

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General Mills, Mars Allege Sugar Price-Fixing Scheme

By Craig Clough

General Mills, Kellanova, Mars and Little Debbie maker McKee Foods are suing several major U.S. sugar producers in Illinois federal court, accusing them of conspiring to inflate granulated sugar prices for years by secretly sharing sensitive pricing, sales and supply information through an intermediary.

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Brief

Latest $1.5M Turkey Price-Fixing Deal Gets Early OK

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois federal judge Wednesday gave his initial sign-off to a $1.5 million deal Prestage Farms has inked to resolve certain buyers' claims in sprawling turkey price-fixing antitrust litigation.

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7th Circ. Revives Tube Slide Injury Suit Against Wis. Resort

By Mike Curley

The Seventh Circuit has given a resort-goer another shot at personal injury claims against Mont du Lac Snowsports LLC and its insurer, finding that while he may have been a trespasser on an out-of-service tube ride, there is evidence that the resort acted recklessly in allowing him to use the tubes anyway.

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AI Note-Taking Suits May Fill Gap In Privacy Law Structure

A recent class action against Granola joins other pending lawsuits against AI note-taking providers, highlighting the legal uncertainty surrounding these tools, but there are practical steps companies using "invisible" AI services can take to mitigate risk, including conducting inventories and reviewing access permissions, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

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ABA Study Shows 20% Of Attys Under Severe Mental Distress

By Tracey Read

About one-fifth of attorneys across the country meet moderate-to-extremely severe symptom thresholds for depression, anxiety and stress, according to the largest-ever study of mental health and well-being in the legal profession.

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Mass. Judge Sanctioned Over Handling Of ICE At Courthouse

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday sanctioned a judge over her handling of a case involving a defendant wanted by immigration agents in 2018, an incident that led to federal charges that were dismissed after the judge agreed to a disciplinary process.

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Akerman Brings On Troutman Debt Finance Pro In LA

By Christine DeRosa

Akerman LLP announced Thursday it has added an experienced debt finance attorney from Troutman Pepper Locke LLP to its corporate practice group in Los Angeles.

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Legal Network TerraLex Names Norton Rose Exec As CEO

By James Boyle

Florida-based legal network TerraLex has tapped a former executive at Norton Rose Fulbright to serve as the company's CEO.

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AI-Native Approach Offers Chance To Rethink In-House Depts.

By Jake Maher

Artificial intelligence is giving corporate legal departments the opportunity to rethink how work is divided between outside counsel and in-house attorneys, but the pace of change in technology and demands to adapt from corporate heads remain challenges, in-house leaders said this week at an industry event.

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Analysis

Executive Privilege Questions Cloud Congressional Probe Prep

By Phillip Bantz

As corporate leaders brace for the possibility of Democrats retaking control of Congress and launching aggressive investigations into the Trump administration's dealings with a vast array of companies, attorneys say a U.S. Justice Department opinion on executive privilege could complicate the probes.

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2 At DOJ Sued Over Conn. Immigration Court Record Access

By Christine DeRosa

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Connecticut has filed suit in Connecticut federal court challenging the Hartford Immigration Court's refusal to provide access to immigration court records.

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DOJ Urges High Court To Revisit 9th Circ. Bar Of Nevada US Atty

By Madison Arnold

The Justice Department has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a recent Ninth Circuit ruling disqualifying the Trump administration's top federal prosecutor in Nevada, calling it a decision that imposes "ongoing confusion" in the executive branch.

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Ed Martin Reprimanded Over Unauthorized FBI Contacts

By Courtney Bublé

Last summer, when Ed Martin was still head of the weaponization working group at the U.S. Department of Justice, he was reprimanded after his team communicated with the FBI without authorization, according to recently released emails.

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